Daily Gospel Reflection for September 21, 2019

Today's Gospel: Matthew 9:9-13 - Feast of St. Matthew The call of Matthew is a wonderful reminder that God loves each of us unconditionally. When questioned by the religious leaders of the time, Jesus flat out told them He was there to call the sinners to Him. That’s the part of the story I’ve always recognized, that Jesus calls everyone, even the sinners. As a child, I seemed to identify with the righteous, thinking, “Yes, Jesus is here for the sinners, but what about me? I’m pretty good. Is it just a given then that He is calling me as well?” As an adult, I now know that I missed the boat completely. My thinking was as wrong as the Pharisees. The Pharisees didn’t recognize themselves as sinners, just as I didn’t as a child. We assumed we were already “good enough” for Jesus’ love because we’d proved ourselves worthy of His call to follow Him. I didn’t yet realize that there was nothing I could “do” to be worthy of the call and that, of course, I am also a sinner. My worthiness for God’s call is not dependent on my actions and deeds. We are all worthy of His call because He created us and loves us. We are all sinners and we are all worthy of the call. That’s it. Jesus loves me and is calling me. No matter what. That’s the message I didn’t fully understand as a child. Now, I recognize that this is the reading I need to bookmark for those times when I feel low and need reassurance of God’s love. I can read this Gospel and be reminded that He loves me, is calling me, and that it’s never too late to stop, get up and follow Him.